Why I Make Photography Books — And Why You Should Own One

A single image can stop you in your tracks. But a book can take you somewhere.

I've been making photography books and zines for years now, and the question I'm asked most often is: why? When a single powerful image can speak volumes, why go to the effort of producing an entire book?

The answer is simple. One image, however iconic, can never fully tell the story of a place.

The Story Behind the Book

When I travel to photograph a location — whether it's the frozen landscapes of Hokkaido in Japan, the dramatic coastline of the Isle of Harris, or the Art Deco lidos of the English coast — I spend days immersed in that place. I wake before dawn. I stay until the light is gone. I return again and again until I feel I truly understand what makes that place extraordinary.

A single photograph captures one moment. A book captures the essence of a place — its mood, its rhythm, its quiet details and its dramatic gestures. It allows me to build a visual narrative, to take you on a journey through a location the way I experienced it. The tension between images, the pacing, the progression from one spread to the next — these are things that only a book can do.

That's why I shoot book projects. Not just to make photographs, but to tell stories.

From Sandbanks to Hokkaido

My Artist Publications library now spans 17 titles — from my flagship Sandbanks Peninsular book, with over 60 pages of black and white minimalist imagery from my local coastline in Dorset, to intimate 20-page zines capturing a single afternoon at the Jubilee Pool in Penzance or a storm-lashed dawn at the Guernsey Bathing Pools.

Each book is different. Each one is the result of a specific journey, a specific obsession with a specific place. And each one is printed in very limited quantities — because these are not mass-produced objects. They are handcrafted publications, made with care, for people who care about photography.

The Perfect Entry Point for Collectors

I'm often asked about collecting fine art photography prints — and my honest answer is that a book is the perfect place to start.

A limited edition print is a significant investment, and rightly so. But a photography book gives you something equally precious at a fraction of the price: an intimate, tactile experience of an artist's vision. You can hold it, return to it, share it. It sits on your shelf and tells visitors something about who you are and what you value.

Many of the world's most serious art collectors began with books. They are not a lesser form of collecting — they are a different one. And for those who go on to invest in prints, a book is a wonderful way to live with an artist's work before making that commitment.

Limited Stock — These Won't Last

Every title in my Artist Publications library is available in very limited quantities. Some have only 2 or 3 copies remaining. Once they're gone, they're gone — I don't reprint.

If you've been thinking about starting a collection, or simply want to own a beautifully crafted piece of photography, now is the time.